Alabama Defense Runs After Letting Child Cancer Survivor Score During Spring Game
TUSCALOOSA, AL — Coach Saban put the fourth quarter of the annual spring game on hold after an ugly defensive series. The legendary coach chewed his starting defensive unit out and let the whole stadium hear it. “If I ever see, hear, or dream about a performance as disgusting as that which I have just witnessed, I’m going to make Maryland’s offseason workouts look like a fucking pride parade.”
The coach then directed his defensive players to line up outside the stadium for an impromptu conditioning session. The Tide defense was told to do Indian runs until, “the crowd in the stadium starts to empty.”
The play that set off the coach’s tirade was an 83-yard rushing “touchdown” by 8-year-old cancer survivor, Tommy Woods. Woods tallied two carries, 83 yards, and one touchdown against the Tide’s starting defense. Saban decried he eight-year-old’s performance as, “disgusting and unacceptable.” The Make-A-Wish participant fumbled the first handoff for a two-yard loss. However on the next play, Tommy scampered to the left on a sweep that went 83-yards for a score. The Alabama defense played along, but it’s not clear if Saban had prior knowledge of the scripted play. A representative from Make A Wish asked Saban if he were aware that the touchdown had been planned by the organization. Saban responded, “The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a beautiful organization with great mission. I personally support Make-A-Wish each and every year when I schedule Auburn. However, that nonsense doesn’t happen on my football field. I don’t care if that kid has cancer and the only cure in the world is scoring a touchdown at Bryant-Denny Stadium. You gotta earn it. And that boy did not earn it. Auburn played Purdue when their fan with cancer was in the stands and you know what they did? Beat them by 50 points. Are we weaker than Auburn? Go ask Dabo if he allows that kind of behavior during his spring games.”
When Saban was informed that Dabo Swinney does, in fact, welcome Make-A-Wish participants, he made a face that could only be described as visceral disgust. The Crimson Tide coach then abruptly ended their conversation to go verbally assault the cheerleading team for “walking on his field.”
The Tide open the season on August 31 against the Chippenwicka Valley Butterflies at a neutral site in Birmingham.
